Rent-A-Mate : Reunion Roundup

Give Up

Ash pov

"Hey Ash, we've got someone here to meet you."

Ash turned to see Michael behind him. When he turned to face the girls his gaze locked with the gorgeous brunette besides April. She had light green almond shaped eyes and full rosy lips. Her gaze was running down the front of his shirt, he had forgotten that he opened it when they were working on the fence. He grinned when she finally caught herself and looked up at him, a slight ting of color rising in her neck.

Michael cleared his throat, bringing her eyes towards him.

"Kiera, this is Ashton. Ashton this is April's cousin Kiera."

"Nice to meet you." Kiera replied, holding out her hand.

Ash took her small hand in his, raising it to his lips. "The pleasure's all mine," he said in a thick southern accent and kissing her knuckles lightly.

"I thought we brought you out here to relax, not to put you to work." Michael commented.

"There wasn't much to do this morning so I offered to help in the meantime." He flicked his eyes towards him before looking back at Kiera.

"How early this morning?" April asked.

"Can't say for sure but before sunrise."

"See now that's what a working man should do." April said, looking directly at Michael.

He noticed that Kiera hadn't spoken yet but kept stealing glances at him while he turned to the others. Working out on the range helped him take in his surroundings while focusing on others. He could see her out of the corner of his eyes while keeping his gaze on Michael or April. It surprised him that a woman as stunning as her didn't have a boyfriend already.

"I would be up that early, if I wasn't kept up half...."

April slapped a hand over Michael's mouth before he said anything else, but the damage was already done. Kiera was shaking her head and smiling and he couldn't help but chuckle. Michael had a big grin behind April's hand, while she glared at him.

"Okay, enough of that. We're going down to the lake for a swim if you guys want to join us." April said.

"Sounds good to me, how bout we meet you down there." Michael replied.

"Okay." April answered before looping her arm in Kieras and they walked out of the stalls.

Ash couldn't help but admire the figure Kiera possessed, how was it that men left her like April said if she looked like that. Some men didn't know what they had until they lost it. He turned back to Michael and kept rubbing down the horse.

"She's cute isn't she, don't know why those idiots she dates leave her for Karla knowing how sweet Kiera is." Michael said looking in the direction they've gone.

"She is." Ash replied.

"So, how about a couple lessons to impress the girls. Just so you know I've never even been this close so a bloody horse."

Ash chuckled, if he was as good as Axel they were going to be here all day. None of his horses were calm around Axel and as soon as he mounted one they would start to buck, tossing him through the air. Axel would complain and cuss but would climb back on again. It took him three days to finally ride one of the horses in a light trot but he never got to take it on a run. In the end he finally gave up when the horse tossed him in a ditch, even now that memory brought a grin to his face.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ash walked over to Michael, this was the ninth time he got tossed from the saddle. Laughter sounded around the corral from the teens watching at the fence. The crowd of teens and young men started to grow after the first three falls. One particular boy, probably around seventeen, was ranting on him since the beginning.